Louver-type radiator grille



Jan. 2, 1934. L. B. GREEN LOUVER TYPE RADIATOR GRILLE Filed Dec. 14, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 2, 1934. 1.. B; GREEN LOUVER TYPE RADIATOR GRILLE Filed Dec. 14, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 2, 1934 Q 1,941,742

UNITED STATES PVHATENT OFFICE I 1,941,742 LOUVER-TYPE RADIATOR GRILLE Lee B. Green, Lakewood," Ohio, assignor to The Globe Machine '8; Stamping Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application December 14, 1932 Serial No. 647,230

ZZ Claims. (01. 293-54) My invention relates to louver-type grilles, of the plating to be damaged during the assemnamely grilles or guards suitable foruse at the bling operations. My present invention avoids frontal :opening of the shell of an automobile rathis by providing two-partlouver bars, the main diator (orat windows), in which the guard mem portion being of a forwardly open channel sec- 5 bersspan-ning the'opening are composed of louver tion which can be cheaply spray-painted after 60 bars, and more particularly to grilles of this'class these main portions are attached to the end bars in-which at least the main portion of each louver of the grille, and the auxiliary portion of each bar is of a channel section. bar being a slitted tube which can cheaply be Generally speaking, the objects of my invention plated before attaching it to the main portion.

1-0 are those of providing a grille of this type in 3. In my copending application #595,298, filed 5 which louverzbars formed of light sheet metal can February 26} 1-932 011 a Louver yp grille readily :be attached at their ends to cross-bars automobile radiators, of which my presentappliand also to one or more stiffening bars extendcation is in part a division, I have disclosed and ing bet-weenthecrossebarsfin which frontalornaclaimed various forms of two-part louver bars,

l menting beads can readily be snapped on the designed so that the frontal ornamenting part '19 louver barsiproper afterthe latter have thus been of the bar can be slid longitudinally upon the cross-connected,.in'which thelouver bars will premain part of the .bar, the two bar parts being sent no free rear edges to cause whistling, and thereafter clamped to each other by auxiliary in which the just recited advantages can be ob? means. In practic Such a bar assembly u u ly F tained in grilles affording widely varying frontal requires at least one end portion of the main appearances. V bar part to be offset rearwardly so as to permit In the louver-type grilles as heretofore emsuch a slidable assembly, thereby increasing the ployed in front of automobile radiators, it has manufacturing cost. already become customary to use sheet metal Moreover, such a longitudinal sliding of one ,25 louver blades of rearwardly open channel; section louver bar part on the .other bar part is :not 30 in place of the previously customary solid metal feasible for a bar curved in side elevation; and bars, thereby reducingthe weight and cost of the even, with straight-front bars, the ornamenting grilles. :However, this substitution of hollow sheet frontal part is apt to scrape parts of the'coating metal louver blades for solid grille bars has still off the main bar part if the latter has previously l0 left the following shortcomings, particularly in been coated.

modern-automobile practice where both a V front My present invention overcomes these objecappearance and a display'of plated frontal grille tions by providing a twoepart louver bar con- .parts is demanded even bytpurchasers of modest structionin which the auxiliary .part is snapped price cars: upon the front of the main barpart by a-mere- 5 :1. Withair-moving at-considerable velocitybe 1y rearw d mov ment, in which the main *bar tweensuch-louver bars-as for example, when the part vcan be of ,a uniform sectional shape car faces ,a windorisdrive'n at highjspeed-the ou h i s m i length, and in which the air flowing past the rear web edges of a reartwo bar parts can readily be assembled even .wardly open "channel-sectioned blade causesan when the frontal edges f th b r are somewhat 0 objectionable whistling. :My present invention curved in side elevation. 9o

avoids this by providing effectively tubular louver -4. Where-the'configuration of theradiator shell bars each of which can be cheaply constructed q i ouv 'b z va v sl nsths,

of two sheet metal parts, each of which bars will the requirement'of a speciahforming of end :por-

present rounded and closed rear ends when the tions of Su h bars, a for example t e bar n 45 two parts areeassembled. ty s hOWn'in my said c p nd ns app i 0 2. With such grilles, the louver bars or blades nsiderably increases the cost of the cannot be plated with a durable coating of chro- 3 0 to elimin t imp op -p s. i' ine ."mium or the, like afterflthe grilleis assembled, beone or more of the bars. My presentinventio'n cause the grille then must be suspended in the avoids .thisby providin ndcbars constructed so plating bathwith the fronts of the channel-secthat the ends of the main louver bar parts tioned blades'facing the anode, so that the coating socket in these end bars -in their proper relative V thins out toward the rear edges of the blades. positions, thereby also "reducing the strains :on On the ,other hand, a separate plating .of each interwelded portions. blade prior to-theassemblingof the grille adds to 5. The welding of intermediate cross-bars to the-cost :ofthe plating and ,also allows .portions the louver bars, as heretofore customary,'- also adds considerably to the manufacturing cost. This I avoid by providing a construction whereby integral portions of the cross-bar and the louver bars will be interlocked by a simple assembling operation without requiring any welding or any auxiliary fastening elements, and whereby this interlocking will cooperate with the stiffening effect of the frontal bead parts of the louver bars to permit the use of lighter metal for the louver bars than has heretofore been required. Furthermore, I provide an interlocking cross-bar of this construction which can readily be modified by the forming of simple bends so as to cooperate 7 in holding the louver bars parallel to each other when the grille is to have a V-front or other nonplanular frontal appearance.

6. A further diificulty met in connection with automobile radiator grilles is that of firmly supporting louver bars which must be constructed of separate and alinecl bar sections because these bars (if continuous) would extend across the opening provided in the radiator shell for the insertion of an emergency hand crank. The heretofore customary use of auxiliary plates for this supporting adds undesirably to the cost of the grille, which my invention avoids by providing a bowed connecting member between the two spaced parts of such a grille bar, and by having an adjacent continuous grille bar brace each such bowed connecting member, and by slightly deforming the adjacent ends of the connected bar parts to permit of a cheap and expeditious assembling.

Illustrative of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of horizontally central portions of an automobile radiator grille embodying my invention, also showing the corresponding portions of a radiator shell front having a central upright strip portion partially widened to afford an opening for a hand crank.

Fig. 2 is a frontal perspective view of an upper portion of the same grille.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, showing the anchoring of the upper end of one of the louver blades to the upper crossbar of the grille.

Fig. 3A is an end view of a louver blade and of an ornamenting tube for the same, showing these two louver bar constituents before the tube has been snapped upon the blade.

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a portion of the grille, with dotted lines showing the downwardly extending flange on the upper cross-arm and the frontal blade-ornamenting tube.

Fig. 4A is a fragmentary plan view of a bladeconnecting cross-member, showing a blade-receiving perforation inthis member.

Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 3, showing the assembly in a grille in which the louver blades slope forwardly downward.

Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are plan views of upright ornamented louver blades with varying shapes of the split ornamenting tubes and the adjacent portions of the blades.

Fig. 10 is a section along the line 10-10 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 11' is a section along the line 11-1l of Fig. 1.

' Fig. 12 is an enlarged section on the line 12-12 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary frontal perspective view of the tabbed stiffening bar shown in Figs. 1 and 12 as initially formed.

Fig. 14. is an end view of this bar as initially formed.

Fig. 15 is a section allied to Fig. 10, showing Fig. 17 is a section taken along the line I17--1'7 of Fig. 16.

Figs. 18, 19 and 20 are sections respectively similar to Figs. 12, 14 and 15, showing the use of a. stiffening bar in which the anchoring tabs initially extend in the same plane with the webs of this bar. a

Fig. 21 is a fragmentary plan view, allied to Fig. 11, showing the stiffening bar as formed for a V-front effect in the grille.

Fig. 22 is a partially sectioned side view of a louver bar and the top cross-member of the grille to which it is attached, showing the cross-member as including a web extending at right angles to the forward and rear edges of the blade, and a frontal flange.

Fig. 23 is a fragmentary side elevation of the blade only of a U-sectioned louverblade shaped similar to those'of'Figs; 7 and 21, but'with'its front and rear edges curved. v

Fig. 24 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a slitted ornamenting tube snapped over the tube-fitting closed edge of aU-sectioned louver blade. 1 Fig. 25 is a transverse section showing a-twopart assembly allied to Fig. 24 but with tube-engaging latch tabs onthe louver blade.

Fig. 26 is a fragmentary perspective view of the tabbed blade of Fig. 25.

In the grille of Fig. 1,-the guard-portions, which effectively extend across the air-admitting opening 0 of the radiator shell front are upright and parallel louver bars, each consisting of rearwardly closed and generally U-sectioned blade 1 having the portions 1A adjacent tov the forward edges of its two webs bowed apart, and a longitudinally slitted tube 2 snapped over these bowed forward web portions so as to close the frontal opening between the two webs of the blade. With the blade initially formed (as in Fig. 3A) so that its bowed-apart portions are sprung by the resiliency of the metal to a greater total spread than the width W of the slit in the tube 2, and with the spread of thefree edges of the two websless than the said slit width, the tube can readily be snapped over the oppositely directed ridges present'ed by the forward portions'of theblade, by a forcible approaching movement along the medial plane P of the blade. During this attaching, the bowed-apart web portions of the bladewill approach each other sufficiently to pass through the slit in the tube, after which the resiliency .of the blade will spread these web portions again so'as to interlock them securely with the tube".

Each louver blade is fastened at its upper end to theupper cross-member or end member 3 of the grille, and to secure an expeditious and firm anchoring I preferably. form this end member with suitably spaced perforations 4 (Fig; 4A) each corresponding to the general contour of the blade when the frontal-tube is snapped on it. To permit the use of relatively thin-metal for such an end bar, I desirably'also deform portions of the bar adjacent to each of these have similarly located perforations and formations, as should readily be understood without picturing it. c I

After the blades have all been slid through (or at least into) the corresponding perforations in both end members, I fasten the blades to each end member by welds B or a corresponding brazing. This may be done even if each blade end only extends to the outward face of the adjacent member, as in Fig. 4, but I preferably make the blades sufficiently long (as shown in Figs. 1 to 3) to project somewhat beyond each end member,

so as to expedite the welding or brazing. By thus 'of the assembly, thereby permitting quite thin and light end members to be employed in place of the thick bars heretofore commonly used for this purpose.

Where the grille is to be disposed behind a radiator shell front which has a frontal part affording an auxiliary opening A for admitting a hand crank, some of the louver bars may need to be positioned where they would extend partly across this opening, so that each of these louver barsmu'st be made of two alined sections spaced to aiford ample clearance for the crank. To permit of this while still securing the desired rigidity for the alined sections of each such bar, I connect the free ends of each such two louver blade sections 13 and 1C by a connecting.

the next adjacent blade, as shown in Fig. 1, and

preferably flatten the portion ID of that blade to which the strap is then also welded. Each such connection between a continuous blade and an adjacent two-section blade can readily be made before the blades are attached to the end members of the grille, thereby bracing the twosection blade to a continuous one.

Fora'further stifiening of the grille, I also employ at least one stiffening bar S, extending across the backs of all of the blades, which bar fits into a notched rear end portion of each blade and has integral tabs anchoring it to the blade. For this purpose, I form a transverse groove in the back of each blade, as shown in Figs. 16 and 17, and employ a stiffening bar which is initially of an angle section, as shown in Fig. 13, with the joint width of its webs corresponding to the width of the said groove.

- Projecting from the free edges of the webs of this bar are pairs of tabs T, which pairs of tabs are spaced from each other to match the spacing i of the grille blades, each tab desirably having its main portion extending parallel to. the web to which it is attached and connected to the-adjae cent web edge by a short tab portion T to offset the main tab portion from that webin a direction inward of the angle between the two webs.

With the tabs of suitable length, the stiffening. bar can initially have all the tabs at one edge of the bar slipped into the interior of the several blades, as shown in full lines in Fig. 15, after which the bar is swung to the position shown in dotted lines, so as to have both edges engage the groove bottom 10B on both webs of the blade. When thebar is then flattened by a press-plunger 11 (as also shown in dotted lines in Fig. 15), the two websof the bar are broughtinto alinement with each other and pressed fiatwise against the groove bottom 10B, and during this deformingof the bar the main portions T of the tabs are swung against the inner faces of the backs of the blades. Thus attached, each blade is latched against transverse movement (or flexing toward eitherside) by the tabs, and the engagement ofv the free edges of the stiffening bar with the groove ends 10A alsoprevents any rocking of that bar in its own general plane, so that I produce a rigid assembly even when using a stiffening bar of thin sheet metal bar, and without requiring any welding or brazing. 7 Since the attached stiffening bar seats on both of the spaced groove bottoms 103 (Fig. 16) of each blade, this simple attaching also anchors the blades against rocking about the bar so-as to swing their medialplanes P- (Fig. 11) out of parallel relations, thereby preventing any midheight twisting of the blades even when these are formed of quite thin metal. However, this does not limit my construction to flab-fronted grilles, since other frontal effects can readily be provided by providing suitable offsets 13 in the stiffening bar, as shown in Fig. 21 for apart of a V-front grille.

In practice, the blades of my grille can speedilybe cut to their proper lengths from long metal strips formed to the selected uniform section; and then attachedto the end members (as heretofore described) without requiring anydeforming of the end portions of the blade ends, so that the entire manufacture of my rigid grille is both inexpensive and expeditious. Moreover,

many changes may be made without departing either from the spirit of my invention or from the appended claims. I

For example, instead of having the latching portions of the tabs T on the stiffening bar offset from the adjacent web portions of that bar, the tabs may be entirely in the same plane with the remainder of the bar, it being merely necessary to provide a suitable depth of the groove 10in each blade. Thus, Fig. 20 shows the initial section of a thus modified bar, Fig. 19 a step in the attaching, and Fig. 18 the position of that bar when attached to a grille blade.

So also, the cross-sectioned shape of the frontal portions of the grille blades and of the attached longitudinally slitted tube may be varied considerably, as shown for example in Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive. With the interior section of this'tube 2 an incomplete circle, the bowed-apart frontal web portions of each blade may be formed (as in plane P.v of theblade to which thetubeis. at.-

tached, thereby insuring a rigid attaching even when the tube is formed of quite thin metal.

Moreover, in thus constructing two-part louver bars, the blades need not necessarily be formed so that their forward web ends are sprung apart before the tube part is attached, or so that these web portions again spring apart after the attaching of the tube. For example, Fig. 9 shows a blade which might be rigid and non-resilient if the attached tube is so thin and resilient as to allow the tube to spread open sufficiently for snapping upon the blade.

With all .of the illustrated two-part louver bars the frontal tube portions can readily be snapped to the blades after these blades have been fastened both to the end bars and to one or more intermediate stiffening bars, and after the resulting assembly has been spray-painted or otherwise coated. This allows the slitted tubes to be differently finished-as for example by chromeplating them-to enhance the appearance of the grille. With the blades sufliciently resilient, such tubes can even be snapped upon the blades when the latter have a somewhat curved frontal contourin side elevation (or even an ,ogee curvature as shown to an exaggerated extent in Fig. 23),

which would not be possible if the tube had to be slid lengthwise over the frontal blade portions. Since the slitted tubes can readily be snapped upon the blades after the latter have been fastened to the end bars of the grille, my two-part louver-bar construction also permits the use of end members of an angle section. Thus Fig. 22 shows the upper end bar 3 of the grille as having a supplemental web 3A'depending from the forward edge of the web to which the blades are fastened. I

It will likewise be obvious that with a slitted tube part straddling the free web edges of a generally U-sectioned blade (after the manner of Figs. 6 to 9) the resulting louver bar is closed at both edges, and could be used also with the back of this blade at the front and with the slitted tube facing rearwardly of the grille.

Indeed, my slitted auxiliary tube can also be employed for ornamenting the forwardly directed U-back edge of a louver blade, as shown for example in Figs. 24 to 26. In Fig. 24, the louver blade 16 has a cross-section resembling that of an uncompressed spring cotter, the closed edge portions 16A being spread out after the manner of an eye and fitting the bore of the slitted tube 2.

In Figs. 25 and 26, the blade 17 is of a simple U-section except for its extreme free edge portions 17B (which are here shown as bent toward each other to prevent a possible whistling effeet) and each web of the blade has rearwardly directed tabs 17A or fingers projecting outwardly away from that web for engaging the bore of the slitted tube 2 as shown in Fig. 25, these latch tabs being spaced longitudinally of the blade.

However, while the heretofore described features of grille construction readily cooperate in meeting all of the recited objects of my invention, I do not wish to be limited to the conjoint use of these numerous features. Nor do I wish to be limited to the purposes for which a grille or guard embodying any of the here disclosed novel struc tural features is used.

I claim as my invention:

1. A louver for a grille or the like comprising a generally U-sectioned louver blade presenting a closed back, two webs extending forwardly from the said back, portions of the said webs near the free edges of the latter being bent away from each other, and a longitudinally slitted tube snapped over the said bent away portions of the blade to latch the tube to the blade and to close the opening between the free edges of the said webs.

2. A louver as per claim 1, in which the bentaway portions of the said webs .have a wider spread, before the snapping of theslitted tube on the blade, than the width of the said slit, and in which one of the members is. resilient to permit the recited assembling and to hold the two members interlocked thereafter.

3. A louver bar for a grille or the like comprising a generally u -sectioned main part presenting an imperforate back and two spaced webs extending forwardly from the said back, and a longitudinally slitted tube extending in front of both webs and straddling the forward edge portions of both webs of the said 'main part, the said forward portions of the two webs being of greater jointspread than the width of the slit in the tube.

4. A louver bar as per claim 3, in which each of the said forward web portions engages the bore of the tube both forwardly and rearwardly of a longitudinal plane diametric of the tube and at right angles to the medial plane between the two webs.

5. A louver bar for a 'grille or the like com prising a generally u-sectioned and resilient main part presenting an imperforate back and two spaced webs extending forwardly from the said back, and a longitudinally slitted tube extending in front of both webs and straddling both of the. said webs, the forward portions of the two webs having hook formations formed for hookingly engaging parts of the bore of the tube rearwardly of a longitudinal plane diametric of the tube and at right angles to the medial plane between the two webs.

6. A louver barfor a grille or the like comprising a generally U-sectioned and resilient main part presenting an imperforate back and two spaced webs extending forwardly from the said back, and a longitudinally slitted tube extending in front of both webs and effectively closing the frontal opening between the two webs, the forward portions of the two webs having oppositely directed formations engaging the bore of the tube, the lateral spread of the formations on the two webs being greater than the width of the slit in the tube, the resiliency of thesaid main part permitting its webs to flex toward each other to reduce the said spread to the width of the said slit to allow the tube to be snapped upon the main part by a relative movement of the tube with respect to the said main part in a-medial longitudinal plane of both thereof.

7. A louver blade as per claim 6, in which the said formations of the two webs of the main bar part extend continuously along substantially the entire length of that part.

8. A grille comprising substantially parallel louver blades each of a U-shaped section, and spaced blade-connecting members extending transversely of the longitudinal axes and of the U-shanks of the said blades; each such member having perforations each conforming to the exterior contour of a blade and into which perforations the blades respectively extend, and the end member having flanges adjacent to each"pe'rfora'- tion and respectively engaging the oppositesides of a blade and extending longitudinally of the blade. r .9

9. A grille comprising substantially parallel and upright louver blades each of a U-shaped section, and an end member extending transversely of the said blades adjacent to one end of all blades; the end member having perforations each conforming to the exterior contour of a blade and into which perforations the blades respectively extend, and also having adjacent to each blade a flange extending longitudinally of the blade and engaging the U-back of that blade.

10. A grille comprising spaced and substantially parallel louver blades each having its rearward portion of a U-section presenting its U-bottom rearwardly, the said blades having counterpart and alined transverse grooves extending across their said U-bottoms to afford rearward openings; and a blade-connecting member extending transversely of the said blades and through the said alined grooves and bearing against the bottoms of the grooves, the said member having pairs of oppositely directed edge tabs, the tabs of each pair extending longitudinally of one of the blades in front of and in engagement with the forward face of the U-bottom of that blade so as to clinch the said member to that blade.

11. A grille as per claim 10, in which each of the said grooves has parallel end walls respectively engaged by the upper and lower edges of the blade-connecting member.

12. A stiffening member for rigidly connecting substantially parallel U-sectioned louver blades, which blades have alined and counterpart transverse grooves extending across their U-backs; comprising a sheet metal strip of angle section presenting two diverging webs and having the joint width of the said webs substantially equal to the uniform width of the said grooves, the said strip having tabs projecting from the free edges of its webs, the said tabs being arranged in pairs spaced similarly to the spacing between the medial longitudinal planes of the louver blades.

13. A louver-blade stiffening member as per claim 12, in which each tab has its free end portion offset from the portion of the web carrying that tab, the offsetting being toward the interior of the angle at which the said webs diverge.

14. A louver-blade stiffening member as per claim 12, in which each tab has its free end portion offset from the portion of the web carrying that tab, the offsetting being toward the interior of the angle at which the said webs diverge and the offset portion of each tab extending substantially parallel to the web from which the tab projects.

15. A louver bar for a grille or the like, comprising a main bar part and an auxiliary bar part straddling one longitudinal edge of the main bar part and gripping opposite side faces of the main bar part, the main bar part having on its opposite sides outwardly directed formations interlocking with the auxiliary part to latch the latter to the main bar part.

16. A louver bar as per claim 15, in which the auxiliary bar part is a longitudinally slitted tube, and in which at least one of the said parts is sufficiently resilient to permit the slit-bordering parts of the tube to ride and snap over the said formations on the main bar part during the attaching of the auxiliary bar part.

1'7. A louver bar for a grille or the like comprising a generally U-sectioned main part presenting two side webs, and an auxiliary part consisting of a slitted tube straddlng the free edge portions of the said webs, at least one of the said parts being formed of metal of sunicient resiliency so as to latch the parts to one another.

18. As a constituent for a louver-type grille, a grille blade presenting one of its longitudinal edges forwardly of the grille, and a longitudinally slitted tube straddling the forward edge of the said blade, portions of the blade adjacent to the forward edge thereof being of greater normal spread than the normal width of the said slit; the said portions engaging the bore of the tube when the tube is attached to the blade, so as to anchor the tube to the blade.

19. In combination, a frontally apertured automobile radiator shell having a frontal opening and having a front portion extending radially inward of the said frontal opening, the said front portion being provided with an auxiliary aperture; and a separately constructed grille comprising two sets of substantially parallel louver bars extending across the said frontal opening at opposite sides of the said apertured front portion, and two louver bars disposed between the said two sets of bars; each of the last named two bars comprising a lower portion and an upper bar section alined therewith, and a connecting member having its end parts fastened respectively to the adjacent end parts of the said two bar sections; the connecting members of the last named two bars being bowed away from each other and concealed respectively by parts of the said front portion which are at opposite sides of a plane medial of the said aperture and parallel to the said upper and lower portions of the said two bars.

20. A radiator shell and grille combination as per claim 19, in which the connecting member of each of the last named two louver bars is fastened to the nearest louver bar of the set of the first named bars which is at the same side of the aperture with that connecting member.

21. A radiator shell and grille combination as per claim 19, in which the connecting member of each of the last named two louver bars is a flat strip bowed transversely of its fiat faces and is secured flatwise to a side face of the nearest louver bar of the set of the first named bars which is at the same side of the aperture with that connecting member.

22. For use behind an automobile radiator shell front which front has an air-admitting opening and has a front portion affording a crank-admitting aperture at higher elevation than the lower edge of the said opening, a grille comprising two sets of continuous and substantially upright louver bars extending across the said opening respectively at opposite sides of the said aperture, and two louver bars disposed between the aforesaid sets of louver bars; each of the last named two louver bars including an upper portion and a lower portion alined with each other and substantially parallel to the louver bars of the said two sets, and also including a bowed portion connecting the said upper and lower portions; the bowed portions of the said two louver bars being bowed away from each other and respectively concealed by the parts of the said front portion at opposite sides of the said aperture, and each of the said two louver bars having its bowed portion fastened to the laterally innermost louver bar of the set of bars which is at the same side of the said aperture with that bowed portion.

LEE B. GREEN. 

